Secrets and Skeleton Leaves
by Colt
Summary: What was Hook before he lost his hand? NO OCS ...to a child, the oddest of things, and the most richly colored picturebook, is that his mother was once a child also, and the contrast between what she is and what she was is perhaps the source of all humor.
1. Prologue

**Secrets and Skeleton Leaves  
**_Peter Pan FanFiction_

Peter Pan _and all related characters created by J.M.Barrie, property of Great Ormand Street Hospital. Events in this tale are based on the novel, the play, and the prequel _Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens _as written by J.M.Barrie. _

For Aneki  
"Thinking of you, wherever you are..."

_"...to a child, the oddest of things, and the most richly colored picture-book, is that his mother was once a child also, and the contrast between what she is and what she was is perhaps the source of all humor..." (Barrie, Margaret Ogilvy)._

**Prologue**

Boot heels clicked on the filthy deck, their incessant tapping barely descernable above the din raised by the soft slushing of the surf against the shore and the wooden hull, each crest rocking the ship and causing creaks to sound from within the tired wood. Night had settled about the detestable ship, but no light shone save the green haze hovering about the mouth of Kidd's Creek. The moon nor her children the stars cast their light, shunning their eyes from the pacing figure of the notorious Captain Hook.

The drunken pirates lay about the deck, basking in the glory of a victory taken by most unhonorable means. With their young captives bound with both ropes and chains hidden away in the hull, they felt as if some notable goal had been reached. These men, who might have been good gentlemen and sailors had they not listened to their inner greed, reveled in their horrid display of sly cowardice and Hook, in turn, was disgusted by them and the great gap in the social standing between he and them.

But his mind was elsewhere than the scugs who obeyed his orders, out of fear if not loyalty. His most worthy adversary had been defeated, a task that had eluded him for so long it seemed quite impossible - even in the aftermath. He felt ill at ease as the chilling wind blew, caressed his cheeks and toying with his black corkscrew curls like fingers of the ghosts of his past.

_"Have you had good form today?"_ they whispered to him and him alone.

He hissed inwardly, refusing to show any trace of his current thoughts to the crew. _I am free of the wretched boy forever._

But his soul, whatever dredges were left of the pitifully tortured thing, was bound still within him to the haunts of a childhood he had tried to leave behind. His days at Eton - oh, how so long ago! - were a monotonous routine of studies and good form. The distant rumors of those days left about him shown in his stance and manner, which he had adopted again as a way to distance himself from the crew. Yet there was a time he had tried to cast them aside, a period in which he attempted to escape from the droning, dim ways of a child puned and harnessed to a future that horrified a young soul.

Hook turned away from the ship and the sight of the merry-making, revolting lot of men sprawled about. He looked towards the isle, merely a dark mass hovering on the water as if holding it's breath before vanishing into the elusive darkness of night. He would not show even his face to his crew, for fear they would see the remanents of the lost boy that he now saw in the gentle embrace of Neverland...


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

The caressing sunlight shone down through the tree leaves throwing mottled shadows across the light skin of the dark haired boy, stretched out between the bugling roots of a massive tree. The soft, tender green moss growing along the forest floor and up the tree trunks cushioned his thin body, garbed in the skins of animals he had slain. The lazy afternoon held no wind to help ease the sun's burden on the inhabitants of the island, but the slightly pressing heat brought no stirring from the child at rest.

Only when the leaves in the tree far above him rustled violently and momentarily did a striking blue eye slide open, the piercing gaze sent upward. He groaned and raised himself onto his elbows, a wide yawn breaking across his face. As he recovered he stood up and pulled himself to his full height, unusually tall for someone with such a youthful face. He pressed his hands against the rough bark of the roots that seemed to cradle him and emerged from amid them. He ran his fingers momentarily through his black curls, dislodging any leaves that had decided to entangle themselves in the dark mess.

Then he turned and called upward, "Pan!"

At the single commanding word, a second boy dropped from above the trees with a sharp rustle. His hair hung into his eyes as he cheekily grinned, hovering in the air so he could easily have a few inches on his companion. "Where have you been, James?" he asked.

"I've been looking for you," James retorted, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow. "You said you would be down at the lagoon, but you weren't."

"I was. I left."

James groaned at the simple response that lacked any explanation. "So?"

"So what?"

A dark scowl crossed James' face. "Do the savages still have the pirates on the run?"

Peter stared at him blankly for a moment, and James felt the urge to grab his friend's foot and yank him down to the ground as if it would clear the boy's head and get it - literally - out of the clouds. Then a spark crossed Peter's face as his memory returned and he grinned broadly. "Yes, the redskins still have command of the pirate ship."

"So those grown-ups are still on our island," James grumbled, processing this information. He didn't want the large, lumbering men to reclaim their ship. They had fired at him and the other boys often enough with the long tom and pistols to make them wary of the reeking tub that rotted in the waters. But he loathed that they were tainting the land also.

"The other boys are waiting," Peter offered suddenly, breaking James from his musings. James looked up at his tow-headed friend, and sighed.

"Must we?" he asked with a hint of contempt.

Peter's jovial grin sharpened as he nodded enthusiastically. "It's the rules, James," he stated obviously, as if James could never go against the rules. James snorted and shook his black curls. If only Peter knew!

"Alright, I suppose," James finally receded, and raised himself in the air. The sensation of flight was thrilling to feet that had been so long condemmed to walking the ground, even long after the initial take-off that had broken the sentence.

With no pause for James to overcome the bout of euphoria, Peter tore off through the treetops. James frowned, and quickly shot up also above the canopy of green. He immediately directed himself towards the waterfall cascading out of the side of the mountain, seeing Peter ahead of him. Peter glanced back momentarily before accelerating with a burst of speed, to which James was only all too happy to match and surpass.

As he approached the other boy, an annoyed bubbling sounded next to his ear, and he ignored the mild scoldings of the small fairy that had joined in the race. Soon he was neck and neck with the leaf-clad boy, his toes still trailing a few good inches behind Peter's. James threw Peter a glance with a confidence smirk attached, to which Peter stuck out his berry-red tongue.

The sudden frantic tinkling that joined the bubbling was lost on the two racing fliers, until the familiar sound of a gunshot echoed off the base of the mountain. A quick jolt passed through James and he abruptly flung himself back as the bullet whizzed past. Annoyance crossed his striking features as his blue eyes narrowed. "Why you..." he started, swooping down to the tree tops. A man sloppily dressed in rags hastened to reload a single-shot revolver as James hovered just above the tree branches. His fingers closed around an unripe mango, the skin hard and tough. He hurled the mango with all the strength in his thin limb towards the scraggy pirate, and grinned with satisfaction as the fruit collided with the man's unshaven face, throwing him to the ground and making the revolver soar into the air. James deftly caught it, and grinned.

"That that, furry face!" he shouted at the cursing man who nursed what would form into a good-sized bruise. Then the incessant bubbling of the small fairy returned as she tugged on collar of his animal skin shirt. Even though it held no strength, he followed the lead upwards. He looked at the gun in his hands and sniffed it, before sneezing at the acrid smell of gunpowder. James turned and chucked the revolver down towards the pirate before swiftly flying on, the screech of pain his cue that he had yet again hit the target.

He dove straight for the waterfall, holding his breath and squeezing his eyes shut as he passed through. He burst out the other side into a small cave, where a poor, frail fire flickered a safe distance from beds of palm fronds. The fairy zipped out from under his shirt, where it had taken cover at the last second against the water to scold him again for tempting the pirate's wrath.

"Oh, hush up Skimmer," he retorted playfully, shaking his mane of black curls and sending water droplets everywhere.

"See? I told you he would be okay," Peter's voice rang out in the cave, perched on an out-cropping from the cave wall overlooking five other boys laying about the cave.

"What took you so long?" Peter asked, a smile on his face showing his pride at having arrived back at their hide-out first.

"I got sidetracked by a pirate," James flung back at him easily. "I suppose you just didn't notice the gunshot, Peter."

"You could hear it, James?" one boy asked with large eyes, and a much larger and rotund stomach.

James smiled as all the boys turned their attention to him. He hovered over them to the fire, wringing out his furs to help them dry. "Of course I could Will," he replied cooly. "I'm always on alert." He ignored Skimmer's sarcastic bubbling. "Peter, you've got to be more careful, or one day a pirate is going to get you."

"That'll be the day!" Peter laughed, floating easily into the air still in a sitting position. "I'm the fastest flier in Neverland. They'll never catch me!"

James rolled his eyes as he looked at the other boys. "Oh, of course." This caused them all to share a laugh.

"Hey James."

James looked up from his chuckle, only to react just in time to catch a mango - one much softer than that he had thrown at the pirate. James laughed again, and Peter grinned playfully also. "You have to be quicker than that, Peter!" He bit into the mango, savoring the sweet, sticky juices that dribbled down his chin. Skimmer flew under him, catching drops on her hands and licking daintily at them.

"So who's winning so far?" James asked around a mouthful of mango mush.

"You and Peter are the last to compete," another boy with wiry limbs and hair that seemed as stiff as dead grass replied.

"Like always," they all chorused.

"How about we use that last race to the hide-out as the deciding factor?" Peter suddenly offered, causing James to frown.

"But that's not fair, Peter. You won because I had to stop for the pirate. Make sure he didn't fire again and hurt you." He fibbed on the last part, he just wanted to taunt the pirate. But he wouldn't admit that to Skimmer, he would hear non-stop bubbling all night.

"So, what will we do to decide leader for the week?" Peter asked, and James looked thoughtfully at the mango in his hand.

"Hey Peter." Peter turned, and met the mango face-first. "First to the mermaid lagoon wins!" James shouted, before darting through the waterfall with an annoyed fairy quick to follow.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

**A/N: We decided to post quicker than our usual schedule due to pressing reasons. (read: Colt was bribed with a shiny.)**

Night time always proved interesting in Neverland. They happened because they were supposed to happen, but did so with no regularity or reason. The sunset proved itself to be brillant to behold, but lasted only a few moments before disappearing into twilight and eventually night. Yet the moon was so brillant in it's own way, that at times it seemed to outshine the sun. The stark white light the moon cast seemed to transform everything it touched, making the world almost black and white. Below the trees, one would be cloaked always entirely in shadows. But above them, the moon revealed all. The earth-bound pirates, indians, and animals could hide below the trees, but the flying children wold be exposed to all and the countless shining stars. So it seemed only natural that at night, the lost boys would take shelter and refrain from flying.

Not true for the duo Peter and James!

While the other boys they considered their charges were curled up in their current hiding hole behind the waterfall, they took to the skies to play tag with the stars. Many think the stars are far, far away. Oh, how the stars giggle over their deception! They hover just beyond reach, and because we think we cannot touch them, we are unable to. For you see, belief is everything. Every time someone actually does come close to touch them they zip away with long tails, and if you close your eyes and make a wish while truly believing, your wish is granted.

The two boys were friends of the stars, and often played with them while other children slept. The younger, newer stars loved to entertain their young friends - always winking and giggling and zipping about, all in all generally flirting with the boys. The older stars were a bit prude and refused to play, especially Polaris. He was the king star, and ruled from his throne in the north. He didn't appreciate the flying children, especially when they flew behind his subjects and blew them out. Polaris refused to speak and remained silent for much of his time, except when the occasional chuckle escaped. Whether he laughed about the confused sailors who panicked when a star would momentarily flicker out because of Peter and James, or the clergy that always took such an action as a sign from heaven, or at something entirely on his own, we shall never know. No one really knows what the stars laugh about.

James insistently bothered Polaris every night - a ritual he had started from his arrival in Neverland. He hoped to make Polaris speak to him, and reveal all the secrets he held just to James. For it is said - Polaris knows the way to and from Neverland, and will only tell his little star cousins, the fairies. But fairies are a forgetful lot, and the second anyone tries to ask about the way, it slips from the memory.

James tried most anything - tickling Polaris by wiggling his grubby fingers in the star dust, making funny faces, and performing acrobatic flips and wheels around the other stars. Yet it seems, tonight is another victory for Polaris, as he does not stir from his throne.

James sank back to where Peter and TinkerBell were breathing hard from a run from a particularly annoyed star that had chased them for disturbing some time or other - as we all know stars have nothing pressing to do.

"Peter," James called to his friend as he settled into the cool flow of the Milky Way, "Do you remember how you got to Neverland?"

Peter looked thoughtful for a moment, then replied, "Tink brought me."

Same question, same answer. But James continued with his questions, already asked many times and responded to just as often. "Where were you before then?"

"In Kensington Gardens, with Solomon Caw."

James already knew the rest of the lines, like a script from a timeless play. Peter had lived on The Bird's Island in the Serpentine, where all the birds that turned into children were born. James supposed he had been a bird once also. He dimly remembered waiting in his cradle for the woman - his mother, he guessed - to neglect him for a moment so he could escape out the chimney. But alas, no such moment came, and eventually James must have forgotten what he was for he could not recall being a bird at all.

Skimmer nestled onto James shoulder, and he gave her his hand so she could bathe in the star dust left on his fingers. Fairies and stars were made of the same substance, so fairies liked rolling about in the star dust as it made their wings shimmer even brighter. Shimmer's beating wings tickled, and James smiled at the small creature in his hands. TinkerBell yammered away, but James didn't really understand the tinkling of bells, only catching snippets of her speech. She had apparently found something shiny and wished to take it home.

Peter was busy drinking the Milky Way, so James withdrew himself and Skimmer quietly and flew back down to the island. Normally, the bright green leaves littered with exotic flowers and the pure blue sea would cheer him, but at night their colors were less distinct. So James flew about for a moment, with no real destination. He liked the feeling of the wind through his black curls, slapping them against his face, except that they got into his eyes.

He stopped to shove his hair out of his vision, and spotted movement in the surf by the lagoon. James hovered above the spot, sinking ever closer to inspect the cause but being wary of the possibility of pirates having a late-night bath...improbable as it was.

James had all but sunk into the waves when he realized that the forms in the water were female, with long shimmering hair and glittering tails like fish. They tossed several large bubbles of sea foam about, their language a strange mix of clicks and purrs. James found himself mesmerized, and didn't feel Skimmer's tugs at his animal skin shirt nor the water lapping about his feet.

Suddenly, his ankle was seized and he only heard a hiss before he was plunged into the cold abyss. James almost shrieked at the freezing water, but when water threatened to invade his mouth he wisely kept it shut. He wildly kicked trying to surface for air, but his foot was still held in the tight clutch of the mermaid. Another joined and grabbed his arm, pulling his down further. James eyes burned as he struggled to keep them open to see the beautiful creatures, still half under their spell. His lungs ached for air, as the mermaids continued to hiss and snarl at him for they were rather reclusive beings, and did not like being seen.

Another moment caught in their grasp, and the tale would say 'Thus perished James'. But with a start, both the mermaids released their hold on the boy and darted away into darker waters. He frantically kicked towards the surface, his head bursting free as he gasped in the night air sweeted by honeysuckles. His body ached too much to attempt flight, so he simply floated in the water as he slowly regained his breath. It was only because he sensed the barest stirring in the water below him that he escaped his end a second time that night, kicking away from the spot he had been in just a second before teeth-lined jaws large enough to swallow a grown man snapped at where he had been.

James screamed as he stared at the large, blood-red eyed crocodile turning in the water as it manuvered it's massive body towards him. The boy tried to pull himself in the air, but his body had been rendered sluggish from the lack of oxygen and he couldn't rise. Skimmer's frantic bubbles told him that the crocodile was about to face him again, as she begged him to fly.

"I can't!" James cried back, as the water formed a V-wave crested headed straight towards him. He twisted his thin, lithe body in the water and swam to the side of the beast's path. His actions weren't quick enough, and he felt the tough skin of the side of the crocodile's face slam against his back and arm. In a moment of inspiration or stupidity - as the two often are interchangable - James latched himself around the crocodile's massive neck.

The crocodile certainly didn't like his new passenger clinging to the back of his neck like a leech, and writhed in an attempt to fling the boy free. Pure fear kept James latched to the crocodile's scal skin, as he screamed with an animal-like cry in terror. The crocodile plunged into the water and everything went silent, only to resurface to the sound of splashing and snapping jaws, James' cries and the crocodile's frustrated grunts.

Just as James were certain his fingers were slipping, he heard a voice most pleasant to his ears.

"Hey, Croc!"

James turned his eyes upward to see his friend clad in skeleton leaves. "_Peter!" _James shrieked, before the crocodile once again dove, and James' hold slipped.

He and the crocodile surfaced at the same time, the massive monster directly facing him. James saw the hunger and anger at such a fight for a meal in the beast's eyes, before two hands grabbed him by his arms and forcibly yanked him into the air. But the weight of two was hard on Peter's young body, and despite all his straining, he couldn't clear them of the danger.

"Tink!" Peter cried as the crocodile turned it's gaping jaws towards the two boys.

Skimmer and TinkerBell appeared together, struggling to hold aloft some sort of shiny alarm clock. They released together, and the ticking clock plunged into the crocodile's mouth. The alarm suddenly went off, and it rattled in the beast's throat. The crocodile turned from the two boys to fight this new internal foe, giving them ample time to get away.

With a gulp, the crocodile cleared his throat of the clock. He turned to find his meal, but it had already escaped and was now safely on it's way back to their lair behind the waterfall.

"Where did that clock come from?" James wondered, and Skimmer informed him TinkerBell had found it in the forest and planned on taking it home to put in their small apartment as it was shiny and showed their reflection. TinkerBell interjected at the moment unhappily, and Peter grinned.

"She says she wants us to find another to replace it."

James, his strength now regained, looked at Peter, and the two paused to look back at the crocodile who seemed to be sulking in the water. He would have no meal tonight. As if signaled, the two boys started laughing together, before racing home to wake the others and tell them of their heroic battle against the largest creature in Neverland.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**A/N: We discovered a major flaw in this chapter...so we had to take it down and repost. Sorry all! (It was Colt's fault.) WAS NOT!  
**

James usually didn't stray to the beach during his wanderings. The pirate ship was docked in Captain Kidd's cove, and often roamed the sandy stretches in search of food. They were afraid of the large beasts that roamed the forest, and didn't often enter unless in groups. However, since they had been run from their ship by the Indians, they had been venturing further and further into the woods, taking their chances with the beasts.

The animals did not bother James. He had long outgrown his fear, more amazed that polar bears would be in the tropics with leopards and tigers. But when he expressed his astonishment to the other boys, they were unfazed.

"So?" a young one had asked.

"It's impossible!" James replied in shock. "These animals don't live together or even in lands like Neverland!"

They had looked at him, wary and doubtful. So they turned to Peter, who had been in Neverland so long some thought the island and Peter were almost singular – one did not exist without the other.

"Of course the animals all live together," he announced in that childishly simple way. "Look James, they're all out in the forest."

Unable to argue with that, James had let it drop. But he liked to go and sit in the forest on a branch and watch the animals prowl beneath him. How he would like to show those pompous educators this, or show the boys the book where it said such a thing was impossible!

No, the animals did not scare James like they did the other boys. The pirates were far more terrifying, but James supposed they were more truthful to their real selves than those highbrowed scugs he had seen in tall top hats. The boys would imitate raising their imaginary hats to one another and bow, greeting, "Good day" as if they had bumped in the streets on their way to somewhere. How they would laugh at their game! If only they understood, those they imitated had been on their way to someplace, a destination that sent shivers down James' spine. He refused to ever wear such a hat.

The beach was simply a dangerous place to be. It offered no cover from a gunshot if spotted by one of the grimy pirates. James liked that slight tinge of danger that made his hair stand on end and caused the burn in the middle of his back like he was being watched, even if no one was around.

Such as now.

James shifted his shoulders a bit as he let his feet hover a few inches above the ground. He could feel the pull – like when you hang from a tree branch and the earth calls for you to return to it. But it did not bother him except when he was not thinking. Just like when your fingers slip from the branch, he would fall and land on the soil.

He glanced lazily over his shoulder, his eyes only catching a glint in the sunlight. But the glint was strange – not like the waves of the ocean. When he did a double-take, his breath caught in his chest.

Two beautiful women were sitting on the rock out in the middle of the cove, where the pirates tied one another up and left them to the mercy of the tide. James stared as they flicked long, green and sliver tails to splash water at one another. Their faces were pale and smooth like slices of moonlight, wet hair falling about their shoulders and down their backs in waves that accented the slender curves of their upper bodies.

He remembered seeing the mermaids earlier, before his and Peter's short battle with the crocodile. He had completely forgotten all about them, but now the memory rushed back at him as well as the realization that he was actually seeing _mermaids._ He had read several stories of them as a child, but didn't believe them. How he could have forgotten the creatures that tried to drown him he did not know.

James' face felt hot and his legs strange, and when he finally realized the bizarre sensation he crashed to the sand. His legs did not hold him up as he hit the ground and air pressed out from his lungs rapidly. The half-fish women did not seem to notice, and only carried on in their play. But the gunshot that caused a spray of sand to sting James' face and bite his skin did.

In a flash they were gone, and a hand closed around his ankle.

James fingers scrambled for a useless hold in the sand as he was hoisted into the air. He found himself staring up at a burly pirate, who grinned with a mouth of rotted teeth, but it faded rapidly as the rheumy eyes inspected him.

"You ain't one of them," the man snapped. "With those long curls I thought maybe one got itself legs."

James face got hot again, only this time with anger. His free foot swung and caught in the man in the mouth. James felt the decaying teeth break and almost retched. Instead he was dropped to the ground as both hands flew to the pirate's face to nurse the bleeding mouth. James immediately took to the air and zipped away, with a backwards glance to the rock where the beautiful creatures had been playing. He was angry the pirate had come, but relieved that his intended prey had gotten away.

James didn't realize he had headed back to the cave until he burst through the waterfall. The other boys looked at him as he entered from where they sat about the cave, wrestling and playing stone toss with one another. Many had not left the cave for some time, because of the threat of the pirates lurking about.

"There are mermaids in the lagoon!" James burst out in excitement.

"Mermaids? Really?" one asked eagerly, releasing the hold he had on his mate's neck.

"Yes really!" James blurted. "They were out on Marooner's Rock!"

"What are mermaids?" one of the exceptionally young boys asked curiously.

"Can we go see them?" another demanded.

James paused for a moment – and was disturbed because he did not know why. "No…they're gone," he admitted. "A pirate scared them off."

"Stupid pirate!"

The boys went off on a tangent, talking amongst themselves in rapid breath about James' new discovery. With a splash, Peter entered the cave through the waterfall. He didn't have time to shake the water droplets off before he was barraged by the lost boys.

"Peter! James found mermaids!"

Annoyed, James shot a glare at the mass of children garbed in roughly made clothes from animal furs. It went unnoticed as Peter asked, "Oh?" with an inattentive air and ran a hand through his curls and flung the water at Tinkerbell with a smile.

Ignoring the fairy's irritated tinklings, James looked at Peter curiously. "What do you mean…'oh'?" he tested.

"Oh," the boy in leaves repeatedly easily. "Who did you meet? WaveDancer or Dewshine?"

James stared at the boy as he wiped more water off his clothing, the other boys and their excitement forgotten. He connected the thoughts running around his head. "You know the mermaids' _names_? How?"

Peter's nose wrinkled as he thought. "They told me."

James stared up at Peter, his fists clenched tightly at his sides as his feet sank firmly onto the cave floor. "You've talked to them?"

Peter nodded. "I would have told you, but they don't like people knowing about them. They get an awful lot of trouble from the pirates already, and in the past they had a lot of problems too. So now they stay on the shore of Neverland, except a few more daring ones."

Somebody laughed. "Should have realized you would know Peter."

Peter grinned past James' shoulder to the speaker, his chest puffing up a bit unconsciously. James felt a twinge in his gut at the action, sulking around the face that Peter's childish pride came naturally, and therefore James couldn't really feel spite for it. But he felt it all the same.

"Why didn't you tell me," James made out through teeth that only wanted to grit and lips that wanted to snarl.

Peter looked at him, an unreadable cross between apologetic and blatant. "I promised, James. And…I sort of forgot."

"I figured."

"I'll introduce you to them now," Peter offered, a smile coming back to his face. "Since you've seen them, it can't hurt-"

"No thanks," James snapped, and without a word to Skimmer, zipped back through the waterfall. The water stung his eyes as he flew above the trees, ignoring the worried bubbling and the pull of the earth, until he went crashing down to meet it.


	5. Chapter 4

_Colt was 'encouraged' again. Everyone, thank cap10 for her bribery._

**Chapter Four**

Hook was broken out of his thoughts by the drunken dancing of his crew. He turned and glared at them, having taken advantage of his dazed distraction to let their discipline lax.

"Quiet you scugs!" he snapped. "Or I'll cast anchor in you!"

Immediately all went quiet as Hook once again took command. He looked at the intoxicated pirates in disgust, wishing he had characters matching or at least somewhat near his own class.

"Are all the children chained, so that they cannot fly away?" he demanded.

"Aye aye."

He motioned with his hook. "Then hoist them up!"

The men went to the hold and opened the gates, before hauling the children out like they were little more than wretched beasts. Hook nonchalantly looked away, acting at ease while they were lined up to be presented to him. He could still see them out of the corner of his eye, the youngest ones with wide-eyed looks of fear and trembling, while the older ones did their best to look unaffected.

"Now then bullies," he said briskly, "Six of you walk the plank tonight, but I have room for two cabin boys. Which of you is it to be?"

The boys looked at each other hesitantly. Hook knew that the life of piracy lured all boys at some point in their young lives.

One grubby child stepped forward, dragging his chains along the deck with him. "You see, sir, I don't think my mother would like me to be a pirate. Would your mother like you to be a pirate, Slightly?"

Another boy replied mournfully, "I don't think so. Would your mother like you to be a pirate, Twin?"

"I don't think so," said one of the identical boys. "Nibs, would you-"

Hook's temper exploded inside. "Stow this gab!" he roared. His men grabbed the boys that had stepped forward back into line with the others. He looked at the line, and saw one of the boys in bedclothes patched with fur looked a little more interested than the rest.

"You, boy. You look as if you had a little pluck in you .Didst never want to be a pirate, my hearty?"

The boy looked a bit struck. "I…I once thought of calling myself Red-handed Jack."

Hook nodded, smiling wickedly inward. Maybe not all of the boys would have to die. "And a good name, too. We'll call you that here, bully, if you join."

"What do you think, Michael?" the boy asked a younger one, also in bedclothes.

The younger boy craned his neck back to look at Hook. "What would you call me if I join?"

Hook didn't feel like playing children's games at the moment and randomly spouted, "Blackbeard Joe."

"What do you think John?"

"Shall we still be respectful subjects of the King?" John asked.

Hook's teeth clenched and his eyes narrowed at the mention. "You woulds have to swear 'down with the king'."

The elder's chin tilted up. "Then I refuse."

"And I refuse!" the younger echoed.

One of the other boys yelled, "Rule Britannia!"

Hook's crew, infuriated, smacked each of the boys across the mouth and Hook roared out, "That seals your doom. Bring up there mother, get the plank ready!"

Hook turned away again and glared out at Neverland, a place where dreams supposedly came true. Why did no boy want to be a pirate? Even he had dreamed of such a calling when he was their age.

Secretly, he admired their constant diligence, something he also remembered well.

-

James opened his eyes and found himself staring at a roughly hewn mesh of branches and leaves. He blinked a few times before his mind cleared enough to let him know he was in a crudely fashioned lean-to shelter. He moved to sit up, before a dull throb igniting from somewhere in the back of his head made him stay immobile. He couldn't stifle the groan that came with the pain.

"Ye finally awake?" a nasal-whined voice asked, with a gruff drop to the words. "Been moanin' for a few hours."

James sought for the source of the voice, but his vision wouldn't focus well. He finally shut his eyes again and tried to will the pain away so the world could right itself.

"Downright nasty bump on the noggin, lad. Even bled some."

Bump? James had to think for a moment before remembering he had fell. Fell! Right out of the sky like a clumsy baby bird.

Something touched his head, sending lightning streaks of pain racing straight to the base of his neck. James opened his eyes again, squinting at the plumpish figure leaning over him, one far too large to be a boy.

"You're a grown-up! A pirate!" James' discovered shouting was painful even as he struggled to reach for his knife. When he didn't feel the familiar cool metal handle his stomach dropped a bit.

Calloused hands pressed him down into the pile of furs. "Calm down, lad. Old Smee wouldn't hurt ye none."

James couldn't fight against the man's large hands. His blue eyes stared at the pirate, his chest heaving up and down in a fit of panic. "Fight me fair, pirate!" James snapped.

The white haired man only laughed. "In your current state, my Johnny Corkscrew would take ye down in a single shot."

James twisted and arched his back, trying to break free until the pain in his head made him collapse back on the make-shift bed.

"Now look, ye've gone and started bleeding again. Let Smee fix the bandage. When I let go, ye better not bolt. Ye wouldn't get far, the other pirates still lurk about and wouldn't mind gutting an injured lost boy."

"…other pirates?" James asked as the aging man released his hold on the boy's thin limbs. "Wait…Smee." The name rang of something familiar in his memory. "You're that old pirate…lives by himself."

Smee chuckled as he unrolled some white bandages. "So, the tales of this old Irish bo'sun reach even the ears of the lost boys."

"You're the one who lost the ship to the Injuns," James stated. Smee reached for the wrapping around James' head, causing the black-haired boy to flinch slightly.

"Aye. The rest of the crew refuses to let Smee live with them because of it," Smee stated as he changed James' bandage. James looked at the blood stained fabric in surprise. He must have hit his head exceptionally hard to bleed so much.

"There ye are, lad. Now no tossing or flailing about, or you'll bleed again."

"Why are you helping me?" James demanded. "Pirates hate lost boys, and lost boys hate pirates."

"Always been that way, hasn't it?" Smee smiled somewhat distantly. "Even back when Smee was a lad."

James scoffed. "A pirate? A lost boy? I don't believe you."

"Aye, and belief is all that matters here, is it not?" Smee asked and sighed. James inspected the pirate for a moment, noting how terrible old and worn he looked. The boy found it no surprise that the other pirates would chase him off.

"Well, time to find some food. Have to get extra for the two of us." Smee looked at James, with a bit of fondness. James' stomach sank a bit, as he remembered a similar look on faces in a world best forgotten for young minds. A look of possession.

As soon as the old pirate vanished from sight, James forced himself up despite the sharp explosions of pain in his head, and flew away as fast as he could – just as he had so long before.


	6. Notes

**Notes on Secrets and Skeleton Leaves**

In our attempt to write a prologue that seamlessly enters into the original story by J.M.Barrie, we not only referred to Peter Pan like a Bible, but also used Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens and the several versions of the stageplay as well. For the fans who are confused (and actually care about accuracy) we're described where our story relates to the tale as written by J.M.Barrie.

_Our prologue_ can be inserted into the beginning of Chapter 14 of Peter Pan.

_Prologue: Eton_ is a famous school in England. In the play, Hook's last words were 'Floreat Eton'.

_Chapter Two: Peter, do you remember how you got to Neverland?_ The whole conversation is based on the origin of Peter Pan as written in Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens. In the text, people are birds first and live in Kensington Gardens. Then when a mother and father request a child, they fly off to the nursery and turn into babies. Peter forgot he was a baby, and flew back to Kensington Gardens.

_Vocabulary and such:  
scugs _A term for someone beneath oneself. Also, the worthless rind of cheese left over from the meal.  
_ the name James_ is interestingly, the author's first name also. Captain James Hook - James M. Barrie.

**If You Liked Secrets and Skeleton Leaves**

Please let us know! We will continue updating whether or not we get reviews, but we do admit, we have several projects going on at once. We feel more pressure to finish the next chapter of any given story when we get an idea how many readers we have.

_Also, Secrets and Skeleton Leaves is being made into a comic! The comic will contain the same basic storyline as this story, but with a few changes that will make it worthwhile the read. Review us with your email, and we'll send you the links to the preliminary character sketches and test pages!_

**Other books of interest: **

_The Little White Bird (AKA Peter Pan In Kensington Gardens) _by J. M. Barrie – this book is out of print now, but you can find the chapters containing Peter included in several copies of Peter Pan. This explains Peter's origins, where/how fairies live, and how they adopted Peter.

_Capt. Hook_ by J.V. Hart – another story of Hook as a child, well written and insightful into his upbringing. We loosely used this as the basis of James' upbringing before he was a lost boy.

_Hook Novelization_ by Geary Gravel – We aren't ones for advocating movies based on books and vice versa, but this is a clever sequel as a 'what if' Peter grew up. The movie was made in 1991 and Peter is played by Robin Williams, but hats off to Dustin Hoffman's performance as Hook!

_Peter and the Starcatchers Series_ by Barry and Pearson – a children's story of how Neverland and Peter Pan began. It's contradictory to both Peter Pan and Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens (which caused the inspiration for this story) but is sort of cute. Check it out of the library first.

_Peter Pan in Scarlet_ by Geraldine McCaughrean - It's the OFFICIAL sequel to Peter Pan. Caused an uproar in this household, but when read through to the end, was very enjoyable. Written in the same playful style as Barrie, and is as true as can be to both Peter Pan and Kensington Gardens. Highly suggested.

**Someone pointed out that we sound pretty official about Peter Pan – but in all honesty, we're just die-hard fans. Don't take much of anything we say too seriously. xDD**


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